Battle Of The 13-inch MacBooks: Which One To Buy?

iMore’s Peter Cohen has posted a comparitive profile of Apple’s three current distinct 13-inch display notebook models – the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display respectively.

Cohen, who moonlights at a local Apple Specialist on weekends says he sees more 13-inch MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs go out the reseller’s door than any other Mac model, the size category hitting a sweet spot between features and price.

The $1,199 MacBook Air occupies the low end of the 13-inch price range, is a well-rounded performer, weighs less than three pounds and measures a bit more than half an inch thick with the screen closed. Connectivity includes Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 ports.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is priced the same as the thinner, lighter MacBook Air, with its more conventional laptop technology appealing to people looking to maximize storage (500GB hard drive standard) and including a DVD burner, but is heavier at 4.5 pounds with a thicker frame providing room to include dedicated Ethernet and FireWire 800 connections, along with Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 connections.

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display marquee feature is its 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution screen, SSD storage and a thinner and lighter design is priced from $1,499, and Cohen says it wins for performance and usability – at a price.

However, Cohen recommends holding off any MacBook purchase until the next generation models featuring Intel’s Haswell microprocessors begin shipping in quantity after Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference next month.